me: (in my head...if only this were true...i might think i've died and gone to heaven!) "can i close my eyes?"

maddie: "yes, you can."

me: "how many years have you been doing hair?"

maddie: "1,000."

me: "oh, how old are you?"

maddie: "16."

me: "oh, do you have children?"

maddie: "yes, three."

me: "how old are they and are they boys or girls?"

maddie: "one is 1,005, one is 65, and one is 35...they are all girls. oh, and my baby anabelle is asleep in her bed...that's her juice."

me: "are you married?"

maddie: "no."

me: "why not?"

maddie: "my daddy doesn't want me to."

me: "why?"

maddie: "he wants me to stay normal." (***folks i gotta tell ya...this statement about blew me out of the water literally...i could hardly contain my fits of laughter...could anything be more true?!?!?!***)

me: (once i composed myself) "where do you live?"

maddie: "i live here in this old house...where i work...this is an old brush i'm using on your hair. it was here."

Monday, August 16, 2010

and for ava, that would mean boiled egg yolks and brussel sprouts!!!!! she devoured them both! this little gal may be tiny but she's no "lightweight" when it comes to her appetite!

and drum roll please...

i think maddie may have met her match in the "messy" department!!!!! as you can see, ava is enjoying feeding herself these days...which as i said, is very reminiscent of her "little big sister"! it is just as exciting this third time around to see her learning so much and becoming more of a little person...although i feel myself "babying" her just a tad bit more...

Saturday, August 14, 2010

ava has started waving "hello" which is just about the cutest thing i've seen in a while...you know, since sometime in 2004 and 2007!!!!

i have spent much of today saying "hello ava" just so i can see her do it...again and again and again! she thinks she is something else too!

she has begun sitting up in her crib upon waking, is trying all kinds of "finger foods" (today after church she could not get enough watermelon, peas, and potatoes!!!), can scoot anywhere but refuses to really crawl, loves her mommy to pieces (he,he,he...not that i'm happy about that or anything), stood for about 5 seconds by herself the other day, and is still very opinionated about me walking out of a room...just pure precious love if you ask me!!!!!

we have spent a lot of time at the pool this weekend...i think we're trying to soak in all we can...and it just helps to be wet when it's about a million degrees outside!!!! i took my opportunity to have a photo shoot with my little bathing beauty...

if you look back to almost exactly one year ago, ella started k-5 with a bang. everything was going swimmingly...until it wasn't. that wasn't part attacked my heart and soul...and after lots of prayerful consideration, we made the radical decision to pull her out. it wasn't that she couldn't keep up with the academics part (although she had minimal confidence in math)...it was that she didn't seem happy. our once very spirited girl became sad and withdrawn...and we knew something drastic needed to happen.

so many things had changed in her little life. mostly positive things...but nonetheless, BIG things. a move, being the "new kid on the block...again", a daddy that works out of town, a new baby being born, etc...

after lots of heartfelt conversations with many friends, family, and even some strangers...we made the decision that we would "let her be little" for a while longer and let her start fresh this year.

so far, so good. she has mrs. hight, she is loving her new uniform and wants to wear it every day which is a good thing...since she has to!, knows some familiar faces this year, and has another year of maturity under her belt to fortify her.

who knows what next year will bring, but for now, we're just happy that our ella is back in full force...ready to take on the world! she is doing so well with her reading...able to sound out just about every word...and recognizing almost all of her sight words...

has the most artistic imagination...

loves to make concoctions (the latest involving lots of toothpaste and mouthwash)...

and is the best big sister any parent could ask for.

we are just as proud of her during this "new beginning" as we were last year...hopefully at least, a wee bit wiser...

and willing to take whatever comes our way...no matter what that may be!

Friday, August 6, 2010

that my children absolutely L-O-V-E the theater... just like all the other gals in our family...namely M-E!

last saturday night, the shreveport little theater academy put on the student production of "les miserables". honey and grandpa treated all of the price family to a night out at the theater! super fun and the talent...super awesome! some of those "kids" will no doubt be on broadway in the not too distant future...

well, my children have been obsessed with the play and it's music since we saw it. as we speak, they have a friend over to play and they are giving each other makeovers while listening to the soundtrack.

maddie has cried several times this week asking to go see "john b john" (aka jean valjean) and "lois" (aka marius)! precious!

i am so glad that we are able to expose them to the arts at such a young age and that they love it! mark my words...madeline has a future in theater. i just know it. she wasn't about to take her eyes off that stage the other night...

who knows...maybe all three of my girls will see their name in lights one day...

and then they can for sure "sing a song for me"...since i've never had the courage to do it myself!!!!!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

whew. what a day. one of those days where i'm counting down the minutes until i can say "it's tomorrow". one of those days that just beats you up and leaves you feeling. defeated.

there is everything and then nothing at all that made it a particularly rough day...but i just feel like i questioned every one of my purposes...and quite possibly had every one of my purposes questioned.

my children were waging a war against me (or so it felt) and apparently didn't see me waving my gigantic white flag above my head. my husband and i were feeling at odds over a parenting issue...which is crazy in and of itself that we have children that are now old enough to require some "issuing" (yes, i just made up that word) over...and i just felt "BLAH" about the whole thing.

it was a day that maybe i just needed a little bit more "hey mom...or hey babe...thanks for trying so hard"...even when i fall waaaaaaaay short of the mark. "thanks for washing and folding that bazillionth (i'm on a roll here) load of laundry...what would we do without you" kinda day.

thank goodness they are few and far between...because i don't like 'em one bit. i'm pretty sure my resident dwellers would say the same..."mom sure is nicer when she's nice." i just felt. edgy.

hopefully, a good night's sleep will help to renew my spirit...

and fortify me. to focus on the things that i am. and not those that i am not.